I’m not a writer. How this book came into being is a mystery to me that only God knows. I was born in Northeast London to Jamaican parents. I don’t remember much of my childhood only to say I had blocked most of it from an early age. In my early teens my family moved to Jamaica in the late nineteen seventies and that was a culture shock.

One of the key areas that was a challenge to me growing up was not only to be a man, but by whose standards. Socially it was considered manly to
have as many women as possible. In my family it was considered manly to be as humanly strong as possible and church-wise it was considered manly to be the ultimate ‘know all’ and ‘be-all’ of men. It was tough trying to navigate through so many ideals. But thankfully, my best friend was the Lord.

Heeding His call I returned to the U.K.in the late two thousand. To get a job was tough. I didn’t understand it then, but what God was doing in my life was something like the children of Israel in the wilderness. Taking me through a transformational thinking process from thinking as an employee to becoming self-employed where your income came from what was inside you.

It was my last interview for a bookkeeping job I really thought I had. After being rejected so many times I thought this must be it. I was sitting on my bed waiting for the call, and then it hit me. You know when you get that sudden realization that what you hoped for wasn’t going to come. The penny dropped, so to speak.

I cried for about ten minutes, then went on my knees and prayed. “Lord, if you don’t want me to work then given me something … and Lord I need it now because one more day just will not do.” Then I heard a voice say “Get up”. I got up. Then He said “Now go to your computer.”I went to the next room where my computer was then my instinct kicked in to turn it on and turn to a blank page. ‘Now what’ I thought to myself. Then the voice came back and said “Write what you see.” I closed my eyes and it was as if I was looking through the eyes of a boy maybe 10 or 12 years old. His hands and knees were bloody. Then I typed my first line. “My feet and knees were bleeding from the walk.”

Over the next two weeks stories flowed out of me and just when the last drop poured out to finish twelve stories, the window closed. Those I called ‘Sons’. A few months later I challenged myself to write again but this time I had to research and use notes. ‘Fathers’ was born. Being a ‘Christmas child’ the Nativity was my most fun work to do. My most challenging work was the Easter story.

As a first time writer, I believe the Lord led me to WestBow Press because I needed someone who not only I could trust but could understand my vision and goal. It has been a long and labouring road, but God is able. The whole team at WestBow have been wonderful.

The peace I had when I started with them continues now and I would recommend WestBow to anyone. Holding my first real book in my hand, seeing it come from a thought, a vision into reality is a blessing unspeakable by its self. I thank God and the team at WB.

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WestBow Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books, are invited to do so by sending a message through the WestBow Press Facebook page, by tweeting us @WestBowPress, or by emailing kgray@ westbowpress.com. We may not be able to use every story, but we will read and consider them. WestBow Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar, punctuation and length.